Troublemaker
by Ginger Redwood
Summary: Ashdene Ridge was a last resort for care kid Thalia Webb. After an incident at her last foster home, The Dumping Ground is the only place that will take the hotheaded prankster. Despite all odds, Thalia finally starts to settle in. But when another resident Ryan starts meddling, a shocking phone call and an unexpected visit could cost her everything. / Set in Season 3 /
1. Last Resort

**Chapter One: Last Resort**

"So, Thalia, what happened at your foster placement?" The man with the floppy brown hair clasped his hands together, looking at her expectantly.

The girl sat in the armchair opposite, fiddling with the zip on the pocket of her jeans. "Why ask questions when you already know the answers?" she asked, her eyebrows arched and the faintest hint of a smile resting on her lips.

The man sighed. "It's my job," he replied. "So, tell me again. What happened?"

Thalia looked at him. "The boy insulted me," she said.

"How did it make you feel?"

"Irritated. Annoyed."

"Angry?" the man asked.

"Yeah."

"So what did you do then?"

"I swore at him."

"And then what did he do?" The man's tone sounded genuinely interested. It must have been part of the job.

"He pushed me." Thalia frowned. "What was his name again?"

"Sam," said the man. "What did you do when he pushed you?"

"I hit him back, of course," said Thalia.

 _"What'd you do that for?! Ge'off me!"_

"I think you did a little more than hit him, Thalia's ," said the man. "The boy has been admitted to the hospital."

"Serves him right," Thalia said simply.

"You caused your foster mother to leave the kitchen and the oven caught on fire," said the man, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Too bad they were so worried about their precious son." Thalia's freckly face became expressionless, despite the angry crease between her brows. Her red hair messily framed her face, making all those hundreds of freckles seem even more prominent.

"You were in the Jones' foster care for exactly two days, seven hours and forty-two minutes." The man went through some papers, examining the data. "That isn't even your shortest time recorded."

"So?"

"Your social worker will be here soon to pick you up," said the man. "When she arrives, try not to lose your temper with her, will you?"

"So she's taking me somewhere I won't like?" Thalia asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know. But when you get to where ever you are going, you have to keep your temper there too. Try and beat your record, will you?"

"And what is my record?" Thalia looked at him curiously.

The man found the paper. "Thirteen days," he read. "Thirteen days since the.. well, you know. Stay there for a fortnight, or try to. If you do, I'll be pleasantly surprised."

"And what's in it for me?" Thalia asked.

"A safe home?" the therapist suggested. A car was pulling up outside. "That'll be her. Keep control of your anger, Thalia."

Thalia rolled her eyes and grabbed her rucksack. The foster home hadn't been the only thing she'd managed to lose over the past two days. "Hello, Karen," she addressed the woman in the car. "Long time no see."

"Two days, Thalia! Two days!" Karen said. "Get in the car."

Thalia got into the passenger seat. "I'm surprised you've found me another place so quickly," she remarked.

"So am I," said Karen tiredly. "Where's the rest of your things?" She stared at the smallish rucksack in Thalia's lap.

"Lost it at the last home," Thalia replied. That foster brother had decided to bin most of her clothes. "Where am I going to now?"

"It's a group home," said Karen, her eyes on the road. "I know what happened in your last group home, but it's a last resort."

"Is it far?" Thalia looked out the window, watching the other cars go by. A blue one drove past and a small child looked out at her and gave a cheeky smile and a wave. Thalia imagined that child going home with several other siblings and having a family dinner. Then, his parents would tuck him up in bed with a whispered goodnight. Thalia sighed, rolled her eyes, and shook the thought off.

"Not very far," said Karen.

The rest of the journey was silent except for the occasional cough or mutter. Eventually, Karen pulled up outside a large, long house, with lots of windows and a light green door. Thalia pushed the car door open and got out, shouldering the rucksack.

"Hi!" greeted the Asian woman at the door. She had black hair and wore a yellowy shirt with jeans. "You must be Thalia. I'm May-Li." She turned to Karen. "Thanks for bringing her here."

"Thank you for having her," said Karen. "I've got to be going but I'll send you the papers."

"Thanks," said May-Li. "Come on inside, Thalia."

Thalia followed her inside the house, looking around at the interior. Heavy music was playing upstairs over a softer, sweeter tune. Several people were shouting, and Thalia could only wonder why.

"Who's this?" asked a boy, sauntering into the hallway.

"Ryan, this is-" May-Li started.

"Turn it down!" a girl yelled from upstairs. "Jody, now!"

Mai-Li sighed. "Let me just sort this out," she said. "I'll be right back." She hurried up the stairs.

"Thalia," Thalia finished for her, looking curiously at the boy.

He gave her a glance, raising his eyebrows at her black leather jacket and Doc. Martens.

"Not until you turn off that music box!" someone else shouted in reply from up the stairs.

"This sounds interestin'," said Ryan, sprinting up the stairs.

Thalia shrugged, wandering around the hall. The house wasn't that bad, she decided. She took a look inside what appeared to be an office, opening the door slowly, with barely a creak.

Someone must have told the girl to turn off the music because she responded by yelling, "No! Not until she stops. She is deliberately trying to wind me up!"

Thalia laughed slightly. Typical group home arguments. She had almost missed them. Almost. She contemplated examining the contents of the computer files and the drawers, but decided to take a better look around the house.

"Hi, you must be Thalia," said a balding man from behind the several cardboard boxes he was carrying. "I'm Mike. I'll just be a minute."

Thalia went on into the living room. There was a boy sitting amongst a mess of plastic pieces on the floor, focused on building something. "What are you doing?" Thalia asked.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his eyes curious behind his glasses.

"I'm new," Thalia replied. "Any idea of what's going on up there?"

"No," the boy said, turning his attention back to what looked like a robot. "I'm building a Talkabot. What's your name?"

"Thalia," Thalia told him. "What's yours?"

"Mo." The boy picked up another piece to screw into place.

Thalia shrugged and went on into the kitchen. Just as she left, she heard Mo say, "How am I supposed to build it when half the connectors are missing?"

A few moments later, May-Li came into the kitchen. "Ah, I see you've been having a look around. Usually someone gives a tour, but today's a bit different."

"I heard," Thalia muttered.

"We've actually got two other girls arriving today," said May-Li. "They weren't supposed to, but their social worker brought them today instead." She paused. "Anyway, they'll be arriving any time now. You should just know that today is probably going to be very busy."

"Yeah," said Thalia, leaning on the counter.

"I was just looking for some bolt cutters actually," said May-Li. "Long story. Lunch will be ready soon though." She called some of the other kids to set the table.

Two girls came in, handcuffed together, and arguing.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get these off," said the taller one, who had her dark hair braided into a bun and several bracelets on her wrists.

"I can't wait to get rid off you," said the other, whose hair was a shade lighter and tied in a simple ponytail. The two of them sat up on the counter.

"Are you the new girl?" said the shorter one, turning to see Thalia now leaning against the cupboard behind her.

"Yep, one of them apparently," Thalia replied.

"I'm Jody," said the ponytail girl, holding out her hand.

Thalia shook it. "Thalia," she said.

"I'm Carmen," said the other girl. "I would shake your hand but clearly I can't." She gave Jody a glare.

"As if it's my fault," said Jody reproachfully.

A few other boys came into the kitchen to see what was for lunch.

May-Li smiled at them. "You boys can set the table," she said. "Harry, you're placemats, Johnny you can get the plates, Tyler on cutlery and Ryan, you can do cups."

The tallest boy went to open the cupboard, so Thalia obligingly moved aside.

"Are you the new girl?" he asked. He was wearing a blue shirt and jeans and had short brown hair. "I'm Johnny."

"Thalia," Thalia said again. She felt like she would be saying that all day.

Johnny shook her hand and smiled warmly, getting the plates from the cupboard and placing them over the wooden dining table.

Then Thalia realised something about the kitchen. "No locks," she thought aloud.

The boy with brown Afro hair laughed, pulling the cutlery drawer open. "That's what I said when I came here. Even though it wasn't actually this house. Anyway, I'm Tyler."

"I'm-"

"Thalia - you just said," Tyler interrupted.

Mike came into the kitchen behind two younger girls, who looked like identical twins. "Listen up please! Everyone, settle down. This is Toni and Billie," he said.

May-Li came in from the utility room, carrying a large pair of bolt cutters. "Oh," she said, hiding the cutters behind her back. "Sorry, I'm May-Li."

"Toni," said the one in the pink jacket.

"And you must be...?" May-Li prompted.

"Yeah," said the other, "Billie."

"Funny names for girls," said Harry - the blond boy who had put out the placemats - walking back across the room.

"Oi," said Mike.

"Our mum thought we were going to be boys," said Toni quietly.

"Well it's really nice to meet you," said May-Li.

"Yeah, alright, May-Li," said Jody, jumping off the counter, "Can we just get these off now?" She struggled to raise her wrist with Carmen attached.

"Yeah," said May-Li, "These are way too big and it's not going to be safe."

"Just a small problem," said Mike to the twins, "but it's being sorted out, isn't it?"

"Well, not really," May-Li replied. "The woman from the yard sale phoned. Apparently the police kit wasn't meant to be sold. It's an heirloom, belonged to her granddad. So definitely no bolt cutters, even if it wasn't incredibly dangerous. Just got to find the key."

"I've got a party to go to at five," Carmen pointed out.

"My book signing's at five!" Jody exclaimed.

"If you can't find the key," said May-Li, "You're either going to the party, or you're going to the book signing." She looked at them and stifled a laugh. "But you'll be going together."

"Ugh!" Jody and Carmen complained, storming out of the room.

Lunch was eaten quickly, with Jody and Carmen complaining all the time. After that, Thalia followed the others into the living room.

"Where is Floss?" said Jody, "We've got to find Floss."

"We haven't, we've got to find the key," said Carmen.

"I'm going to get her," said Jody fiercely. "Alright, we'll follow the route. Hallway, landing, kitchen, and we'll do Floss' room."

"Alright, come on," said a blonde girl, leading some of the others out.

"What's in it for us?" objected Ryan, who was sitting next to Johnny. He wore a grey shirt with black jeans and had brown hair a shade lighter than Johnny's. Right then, he had a very smug expression.

"What's in it for us!" Jody exclaimed.

He nodded.

Jody sighed and scooped some money out of her pockets. "And you," she said to Carmen. With Carmen's money added, she said, "I've got nine pound."

The boys exchanged a glance before running off.

"Ah, Thalia," said Mike, "Bring your bag and I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." He looked at her then. "Do you only have that bag?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Thalia.

Mike shook his head and sighed. "Come with me," he said, leading her upstairs. "You'll be sharing with Tee," he told her, opening the door to what must have been Tee's room.

Thalia nodded. "She's the blonde one, right?"

"That's right," said Mike. "I've got a room to clear out, sorry, so I've got to go. Hope you settle in alright." He gave Thalia a smile before dashing out again.

Thalia dumped the bag at the bottom of the bed. The metal frame with the bare mattress on top looked very bare in comparison to the brightness of the rest of the room. Thalia didn't mind though. It wasn't like it was really her room anyway.

Tyler walked past the door, taking a double-take and peering in. "Hey, so you're sharing with Tee?" he asked. He looked a bit worn out despite his usual friendly tone.

"I suppose," Thalia shrugged. "Found that key yet?"

"No." Tyler's expression dampened. "They're being really aggressive about it though. 'Why are you just sitting there? Go look for the key!'" He sighed heavily.

"Sounds like they need to brighten up," said Thalia.

Tyler looked thoughtful. "I have an idea," he said. "Ever done a prank before?"

"Have I done a prank?" said Thalia with a laugh. "What is it?"

Around half an hour later, the two of them were crouching around the corner from Carmen's room, waiting for her to spring the prank. But Carmen wasn't the one that came round the corner.

"Argh!" someone shrieked.

Thalia peered round and tried not to laugh. Tee was standing in Carmen's doorway, her head covered in bright yellow custard.

"That's a nice look on you, Tee," said Ryan, smirking at her.

"You." Tee turned to him. "You did this!"

"I'm not the pranking kind of guy," said Ryan.

"Yeah, don't let him take all the credit," said Thalia, stepping out into view. "It was a pretty good one though, right?"

Ryan looked at her. "Thalia, right?"

"Yep," said Thalia.

"I'm Ryan," said the boy mysteriously, passing them in the corridor and walking down the stairs.

"You're the one who's sharing my room," said Tee. "Think it's funny to prank me?"

"It wasn't meant for you actually," said Thalia. "You just got lucky."

"Unlucky, more like it," Tee snapped. "Look, maybe if you stopped messing around and started helping us look for the key, someone might actually notice you've arrived!"

Thalia fixed her with a stare. "Good luck finding that key anyway," she said, turning her back on the girl and walking off.

"I'm getting my metal detector!" Tyler declared, laughing as he pushed past Tee as well.

"Of course it was you, Tyler!" Tee yelled after him. She huffed and went to get changed.

Hours later, the Carmen and Jody dispute seemed to have quelled, and Thalia pulled up a chair at the table in the kitchen.

"So, been in care before this?" Ryan asked casually, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Thalia replied. It wasn't something to be proud of, but it wasn't something to be ashamed of either.

Ryan raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything else.

Mike came in, sighing with the relief of the business of the day being over. "I think it's time for a snack," he said, then calling, "Who wants tea and cake?!"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm really excited to have this first chapter up! I've been wanting to write a Dumping Ground story for a while, using the character of Thalia, but have always put it off. Now, I'm really happy to have written and uploaded Chapter One, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it too! Please leave a review below and tell me what you think, and go ahead and read Chapter Two as well, which I have decided to put up at the same time to get started. Thank you all so much!**

 **Ginger xx**

 **(Also, hope you all had a brilliant Christmas - I did :D)**


	2. Expelled

**Chapter Two: Expelled**

"One more week of school!" a girl yelled early the following morning.

"Floss!" Carmen shouted. "Shut up!"

Thalia rolled out of bed, dressed in her only pair of pyjamas - a black and white raglan-sleeved top with matching coloured pinstriped pyjama bottoms. She stumbled out of the room she had been sharing with Tee and made her way towards the bathroom. Last night had been uncomfortable, at least for Tee. The two had gone to sleep in complete silence, barely saying one word to each other. Quite frankly, that suited Thalia perfectly.

A mess of red hair and freckles, she knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you going to be long?" she asked.

The door unlocked and Ryan stepped out. "What are you doing up this early?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I could ask you the same question," Thalia returned. "Don't you have an en-suite?"

"Toilet's still broke," said Ryan, meeting her eyes.

"Can I use the bathroom then?" Thalia asked.

"Go ahead," Ryan muttered, pushing past her.

Thalia looked at herself in the mirror, making a lame attempt to run her fingers through the tangles in her hair. She scooped up some cold water and washed her face, cleaning off any crime from the day before. It just made her freckles even more prominent. She was just so freckly: face, arms, everywhere. It was like someone had gone crazy with a dot-to-dot all over her body.

"Are you going to be long?" someone asked from outside.

"No," Thalia called, unlocking the door and leaving the room. "You're one of the twins, right? The new girls?"

"Yeah," said Toni. "You're new too."

Thalia nodded. "I'm Thalia," she said.

Toni smiled slightly and went into the bathroom. Thalia shrugged and went downstairs.

"Morning, Thalia," said May-Li.

"Morning," Thalia replied, leaning on the counter.

"Now," said May-Li, "I would tell you to get ready for school but I got an email yesterday telling me otherwise."

"Yeah." Thalia reached for the cereal.

"You were expelled," said May-Li bluntly.

"Yeah," said Thalia again.

"Well, I'll enroll you at the same school as the others," said May-Li, buttering some toast, "But you'll have to stay here for today."

"That's okay," said Thalia. "I have some stuff to sort through anyway."

"What stuff?" May-Li joked. "I don't know what happened to all your things but I'll have to find you some clean clothes to borrow. Actually," she paused, fetching a basket of dry washing from the utility room and placing it on the counter, "You should be able to find something in here."

"Thanks," said Thalia, pouring milk in her bowl.

"Is that toast up for grabs?" Tyler asked, quickly snatching a piece from May-Li's plate.

"Hey!" May-Li objected, but Tyler was already stuffing it in his mouth.

"Thanks, May-Li!" he said, spraying crumbs everywhere.

May-Li rolled her eyes. "Help yourself to the clothes, Thalia," she said, leaving the room.

"That prank didn't really go right yesterday," said Tyler, swallowing the toast.

"That was Tee's fault," said Thalia, jumping up and sitting on the counter to eat her breakfast.

"Yeah, poor Tee," Tyler laughed. "I think we need to do another one."

"Another prank?" Jody came into the room and sat down at the table. "Why wasn't I involved?"

"You were attached to Carmen," Tyler pointed out.

"But we always do pranks together," Jody complained.

"Ooh, you jealous?" asked a dark-skinned boy with a football in his hands.

"Jealous?" said Jody. "No!"

"I'd say you're the jealous one," Thalia quipped, smirking at the other boy.

"Well I'm not," said the boy, turning to her angrily. "Tryin' to pick a fight or something, are you?"

Thalia frowned, putting her cereal bowl down. "No, actually," she said, getting off the counter.

"Maybe you're the jealous one," said the boy, "Not got any friends, have we?"

"You can't say much!" said Thalia, beginning to confront him.

"Yeah, well I've got more friends than you," Bailey retorted. "No wonder you got dumped."

Thalia clenched her jaw and pushed him back.

"Okay, okay," said Tyler, "Everyone calm down. Bailey, just go and play with that stupid football outside or something."

Bailey scowled and went outside.

"What was all that about?" May-Li asked, coming back to grab her other piece of toast.

"Nothing," said Thalia. "I'm just going to see if there's anything in here I can borrow."

"Alright," said May-Li, "Well, I'll leave you to it."

When she had left, Thalia finished off her cereal and picked up the washing basket. "We can talk pranks when you get back from school, Tyler," she said.

"Aren't you going?" Jody asked.

"Nah," said Thalia, giving a smile, "I got expelled."

"Whoa, cool," said Jody. "Think I could help with the prank too?"

"Of course," said Thalia. "See you." She carried the basket out of the room and upstairs to Tee's bedroom.

"What are you doing with that?" Tee asked, looking at her in the mirror whilst applying mascara.

"Finding some clothes," Thalia replied. "What does it look like?"

"We'll try not to find any of mine," said Tee shortly, grabbing her schoolbag and leaving Thalia alone.

Thalia rooted through the clothes basket, trying to find something her size. The grey t-shirt and black jeans she had worn the day before had gone in the wash, and she wondered if anything or anyone else's would even fit her. She picked out a different pair of jeans, dark-washed grey ones, which were slightly too big, but alright, if a little tight on the waist, and a t-shirt with horizontal black and white stripes. She quickly got dressed, throwing her leather jacket on top and lacing up her black Doc. Martens.

Thalia's eye caught a dark hairbrush lying on Tee's bed. She shrugged, deciding she didn't care if Tee found out that she'd used it. She ran the brush through her messy hair, placed it where she'd found it, and went back out of the room.

"You're so lucky," Jody moaned, catching her on the stairs, wearing her school uniform. "Nice top though."

"It's yours?" Thalia asked, though she wasn't surprised it belonged to someone like Jody.

"Yeah," said Jody. "Ugh, maybe I should get expelled."

"Only one more week 'til half term," Thalia smirked.

Jody sighed, stomping down the stairs to meet the others in the hallway. She picked up Bailey's football which he was kicking around and shoved it into his chest.

Ryan was sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, lacing up his black Converse. He watched Thalia pass with a frown. "Are those my jeans?" he asked.

"Nothing else fitted," Thalia shrugged, turning towards the bookshelf to hide her burning ears. She hadn't realised they were Ryan's. She wasn't embarrassed, but whenever something like that happened, she always felt her ears turning red.

"Have fun at home," Jody called on her way out the door.

Thalia didn't reply. 'Home' wasn't a word she would use. She went back up the stairs into Tee's room, and started rummaging through her rucksack. There was a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste, a worn pop-up book and a scuffed, tattered pair of Converse at the bottom. There was a half-eaten packet of Starbursts too, which Thalia picked up and carried them out of the room.

The next few hours were spent wandering the house, taking a little peek in everyone's rooms. Thalia eventually found the spare staff bedroom, and opened the door a crack. Underneath the bed was a skateboard, which naturally she pulled out. She had a little go, being bored at Ashdene Ridge all day, but put it back where she found it. She also investigated several good pranking opportunities, and much of the attic. The clock ticked round to three o'clock and soon enough, the others came home. There were no Starbursts left by then.

"Hey, Thalia," said Jody, reaching up to hang her coat on the peg in the hallway as Tyler ran past her.

"Nice day at school?" Thalia grinned at her smugly.

Jody rolled her eyes. "Me and Tyler are going to play football in the garden. Coming?"

Thalia shrugged. "Alright." She followed Jody outside.

"And he scores!" Tyler yelled, running a full circuit around the garden.

"Oi, that's my ball," said Bailey, quickly intercepting and carrying it off.

"Hey!" said Jody. "Why'd you have to be so selfish?"

"It's not yours," said Bailey, taking the ball away.

Tyler sighed. "Looks like we'll have to find something else to do," he said.

"Game of pool?" Thalia suggested.

"You any good?" Jody asked as they went back inside.

"Kind of," Thalia replied modestly. "I've been at a lot of different places so I've had plenty of practise."

"Come on then," said Tyler, "But I don't think Johnny and Ryan will let us play."

As it turned out, Ryan was nowhere to be seen, and Johnny agreed to a game. "Sure you want to play, Jody?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm not that much of a bad loser," Jody protested. "And anyway, I want to see if I can beat Thalia."

"You play?" Johnny asked the redhead.

"Yeah, are we doing teams then?" Thalia replied.

"Sure," said Johnny. "How about boys vs girls? Me and Tyler against you and Jody."

"Alright," Thalia agreed, picking up the pool cue.

"You didn't go to school, new girl," said a younger girl with curly ginger hair, marching up to Thalia with a pointed stare.

"No, I didn't," Thalia replied.

"Why?" the ginger girl demanded.

"Don't mind Floss," said Johnny. "She always wants to know everything."

"I do not!" Floss exclaimed.

"I got expelled," Thalia told the younger girl with a laugh.

"Oh," said Floss. "Were you really naughty?"

Thalia stiffened. She didn't really like to talk about what had happened that day. "I... Why do you want to know?" she snapped.

"Alright, no need to get angry," Floss muttered, walking away.

"Shall we just get on with the game?" Johnny asked quickly.

Carmen came round the corner and sat down at the computer, opening a browser. She frowned when Jody actually potted a hole and gave a loud whoop. "Can you keep it down, please?" she said.

"What, are you too busy looking up boybands?" Johnny laughed.

"No, actually," said Carmen. "I'm trying to do my homework."

"Oh," said Johnny. "But it's half term next week."

"Exactly," said Carmen, "and this is the time that all teachers pile on the homework."

Johnny shrugged. "Just do it in the half term," he suggested.

"Half term isn't for homework," Carmen grumbled, "It's for parties."

"Well, we'll try to be quiet," said Johnny. "Is it my turn?"

"Thalia," May-Li called, "Could I speak to you in the office for a minute?"

"Sure," Thalia replied, handing Jody her pool cue and following May-Li into the office.

May-Li slowly closed the door. "Right," she said, "I've phoned up the school to enroll you and they said you'd be better off starting after half-term."

"So I'm staying here until then?" Thalia asked.

"That's right," said May-Li. "Don't worry, I'll find some extra chores for you."

Thalia gave a strained smile. "Great," she said sarcastically and May-Li laughed.

"There's also something else I wanted to talk to you about," she continued. "Your social worker sent me your file, and I've also received an email from Social Services."

"What's it about?" Thalia asked.

"Your anger issues," said May-Li gently. "I don't want you to worry, but we are aware that Ashdene Ridge is the one place that will take you, partly for that reason."

"So you're going to chuck me out?" Thalia frowned, crossing her arms.

"No, of course not!" said May-Li quickly. "You will be allowed to stay for as long as you need to. But Social Services will always be looking for a foster placement for you, and you should know that."

"So Social don't want me to be here?" Thalia questioned.

May-Li sighed. "You have a large record of foster homes, Thalia," she said. "Social Services may see you in a different way to us. I just want you not to be surprised if they find a temporary foster home for you soon."

"Alright," Thalia muttered. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah," said May-Li with a friendly smile. "Would you mind helping me make dinner later?"

"Course not," said Thalia, walking out of the office, only to find Ryan skulking around the hall.

"What did May-Li want?" he asked casually, raising his eyebrows.

"None of your business," Thalia scoffed, pushing past him into the living room.

"You're back!" said Jody. "I'm losing really badly to the boys. I had to get Floss to help."

"Are you saying I'm rubbish?" Floss demanded shriekly.

"Yeah," said Jody, laughing as Floss stomped off. "So, what did May-Li want?"

Thalia scowled. "None of your business," she muttered, turning and stalking out too.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks so much for reading - I'm having loads of fun writing it - and please leave a review! Thank you :)**

 **Ginger xx**


	3. Mischief

**Chapter Three: Mischief**

"Can you pass me a cup, Jody?" Thalia asked that Friday morning at the breakfast table. It was an Inset day for everyone else.

Jody ignored her request, staring moodily into her cereal. Tyler sighed and passed a plastic tumbler.

"A'right, see yous," said Bailey, his football in his hands.

"Can I help you practise?" Harry asked.

"No, he'll just be a big fat show off like he was yesterday," said Jody moodily. She had gone into town with Bailey after school the day before.

May-Li sent Bailey into town with a shopping list, and Mike placed a large pan of vegetables on the table.

"Not for breakfast, no way!" Billie complained.

"Not vegetables again!" Tyler exclaimed. "I swear, I'm turning into a carrot." He held out his arm, which he'd coloured orange. "Look at my skin!"

"That's felt pen, you turnip," said Johnny, setting everyone off laughing.

"I love vegetables," Floss declared.

"Good," said Mike, "because those are for lunch and those are for tea."

Everyone started to moan again so Mike added, "It's your vegetable patch, kids. Waste not, want not." He turned to where May-Ali was piling vegetables into boxes. "What are you doing?"

"Sharing our surplus," May-Li explained. "We can leave them outside for the neighbours to take."

Jody and Tyler exchanged a look and Thalia knew exactly what they were thinking. "Can I help?" she asked. They both stared at her.

"Help with what?" Johnny asked.

"Uh, give out the veg, of course," Thalia said quickly.

"Yeah, we'll help too, May-Li," said Jody.

"That's nice of you," said May-Li. "I'll set up a table in the front garden for you."

"Thanks, May-Li," said Tyler. He ushered Jody and Thalia out into the living room. "So you're both in?" he asked.

Jody and Thalia exchanged a look. "Yes," they both said in unison.

Half an hour later and the vegetables were out on a table in the front garden, and people were starting to gather.

"How much do you think we can sell them for?" Jody asked. "Fifty pence or a pound?"

"A pound," Tyler confirmed, taking the turnip from her.

"A pound?" Harry repeated. "What are you doing?"

"It's our farm shop," said Tyler.

"Why give away stuff when you can make good cash?" said Jody.

"So, a pound?" Thalia clarified.

"Yep," said Tyler, placing the turnip back into the crate.

"Come and get your veggies!" Jody shouted. "Fresh picked this morning!"

"Look, you've got to big them up," said Tyler.

"Yeah, they're not just veggies," Thalia agreed.

"I am!" Jody protested.

"No, more like this," said Tyler, then yelling, "Organic, farm fresh, bursting with flavour! Come and get your veggies!"

Thalia laughed. "You're not going to get fresher than these!" she added.

Harry and Floss watched them with interest. "Can we help?" Floss asked.

"You two can be our assistants," said Jody. "Fifty pence an hour."

Floss and Harry grinned and exchanged a high-five.

Bailey came walking up to them, complete with a black and white dog on a rope for a lead.

"What's that?" Jody asked.

"It's a horse," said Bailey sarcastically. "What'd you think it is?"

"Whose is it?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, where'd you get him?" Thalia asked, crouching down to stroke the dog.

"I thought you didn't like me," said Bailey shortly.

"I don't," Thalia responded. "But the dog's pretty cute."

Bailey scoffed. "Well, he's no-one's. I'm just lookin' after him for the minute."

"What's his name?" Floss asked.

"Mischief," Bailey replied.

Suddenly, Mischief grabbed a carrot from the crate on the floor and took off towards the house. Thalia tried to grab him, the rope lead sliding out of her hands, and raced after him, Bailey in tow. They stumbled into the back garden, where some of the kids were putting out the washing. Mischief ran up to Ryan, who stepped backwards, the clothes basket in his hands.

"What, you scared of a dog?" Bailey accused.

Ryan dropped the clothes basket, grabbed a pair of pants, and threw them at the dog.

"Oi, they're mine!" Johnny protested.

"What is that animal doing here?" May-Li demanded, coming around the corner.

"Ask Bailey," said Johnny as Mischief kept barking.

"Loo rolls, bin bags, scourers," said May-Li, counting off the things on her fingers. "I do not remember putting dog on that shopping list." She looked at Thalia. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"No," Thalia replied, raising her hands in surrender.

"Get inside," said May-Li. She glanced over at Ryan. "I'm going to have to wash those pants again," she muttered.

"I can help put the rest out," Thalia offered, gesturing to the washing, really wanting to know why Ryan was scared of the dog.

May-Li sighed. "Thanks, Thalia," she said, walking into the house. "We are not having a dog."

"So," said Thalia, rolling up the sleeves of her jacket and picking up the clothes basket, "How come you're scared of Mischief?"

Ryan raised his eyebrows, putting the pants back into the basket.

"The dog," Thalia clarified.

"I'm not," said Ryan, shaking his head slightly.

"Right," said Thalia, making it clear she didn't believe him.

"I can finish this myself," said Ryan sharply.

"But-"

"I don't need your help," he interrupted.

Thalia pushed the basket into his arms, marching off inside where the others were gathering in the kitchen.

"Do you know what? I had no idea Bailey even liked dogs," said Mike, busy chopping carrots.

"Well it doesn't matter," said May-Li, "because we're not keeping him, OK?"

"Why not?" Bailey asked as he came in. "I told this bloke I'd try and find him a home."

"Which bloke?" Mike asked.

"His owner died," Bailey explained. "He was gonna go to some dogs' home."

"Do you know what? You're going to have to tell this bloke that it's not your problem," said Mike.

"Why?" Thalia asked, leaning against the counter.

"You were going to let Frank keep Shadow," said Tee.

"Yeah," said Johnny. "At least this one's got the right number of legs."

"Well, we'll have to look at the options," said Mike.

"What options are those?" May-Li objected.

"I mean, we'll just have to see," said Mike with a strained smile. "Now that you're all in here, you can help with lunch!"

Thalia quickly escaped into the hallway. She suddenly frowned when she spotted Ryan walking past in his red shirt, and darted behind the bookshelf. What was he up to? She heard the crackle of a crisp packet as he neared the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Thalia stepped out, folding her arms across her chest.

"Why do you care?" Ryan asked, giving her a puzzled look.

Thalia's eyes narrowed but all she did was watch him walk up the stairs. She shook her head and went back out into the front garden.

"Where've you been?" Tyler demanded. "Take any more time out and you'll be getting less of the profits."

"Alright," said Thalia, "Sorry. Had a lot of customers?"

"Loads," Jody replied. "What happened to the dog?"

"Bailey wants to keep it," said Thalia, tucking a piece of red hair behind her ear. "And-"

There was a sudden piercing scream that came from the house. On instinct, Thalia jumped up and ran towards the noise.

"Hey!" said Tyler. "What happened to no more time off?"

"Sorry!" Thalia yelled, running into the house. She raced up the stairs to find the others peering into Carmen's room.

"Get. Him. Out!" Carmen shrieked, pointing towards the black and white dog that was chewing up her pillow.

"He hasn't touched any of my stuff," remarked Kaz, Carmen's roommate.

"Oh really? I wonder why," Carmen snapped.

"Bailey, I told you to lock him in your room!" Mike exclaimed.

"I did!" Bailey protested.

"Trust Bailey to get a psycho dog," Ryan muttered.

"No, Bailey, I'm sorry, but he is going to have to go to the dogs' home," said Mike. "Today."

The next day, Thalia walked into the kitchen around lunchtime wearing a pair of pale blue jeans that belonged to Carmen and another of Jody's t-shirts, only this one was plain grey.

"Thalia, could you take these bin bags out the back, please?" May-Li asked.

"Sure," Thalia replied, picking up the black bags and heading into the garden. Bailey was outside, chasing after Mischief. He looked exhausted already.

"Need any help with that?" Thalia smirked, dumping the bags into the outside bin.

"None from you," Bailey shot back.

"I thought he was going," Thalia called.

"Not if I train him," Bailey replied. "Can you go? You're wastin' my time."

"Alright, Master Dog Trainer." Thalia placed her hands together and bowed, laughing, and headed back inside.

Over the next few days, Bailey was hard at work trying to train Mischief, despite the others laughing at him. Thalia sank into the sofa, reaching for the remote, when one of the twins handed her a slip of paper.

"You are invited to a dog show," Thalia read. "Garden. Three o'clock." She turned to the other girl. "Thanks."

Later that day, they had all gathered in the garden for the dog show.

"Where are Jody and Tyler?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, and Floss and Harry," May-Li added.

"I'll go find them," Thalia offered, heading into the front garden.

Harry and Tyler were dealing with a woman at the front table, whilst Jody and Floss hung around a little further away. Eventually, Tyler came back to the others.

"What did she want?" Jody asked.

"Said we were doing fraud," Tyler replied.

"And that we could go to prison," said Harry.

"Come on, we're going to miss the dog show," said Thalia.

"Have you quit on our farm shop?" Tyler asked.

"Well, um..."

"It doesn't matter," said Floss. "Come on, Harry!"

They all went back into the back garden to watch Bailey's dog show. And at the end, the decision was made to keep Mischief.

A few days into the half term, Thalia was woken with the piercing sound of a rooster. Her eyes snapped open and she rushed out into the garden to see what was going on.

"Guys!" she exclaimed, seeing the chicken in the shed. "What have you done?!"

"Turn the chicken down!" Tyler shouted over the noise of the chicken and heavy music blasting over that.

"Everyone can hear it! Turn the chicken down? It's not music, Tyler!" Jody yelled.

Mike and May-Li came into the garden and Tyler quickly shut everyone inside the shed. "Turn it down! You're going to wake the neighbours!" May-Li told him.

"Lovely day. Just starting my morning fitness routine!" said Tyler on the spot. Thalia stared at him as he started doing star-jumps.

"It's a bit like being back at Glastonbury!" Mike laughed.

Suddenly, there was the loud sound of the rooster crowing.

"Was that... a chicken?" May-Li asked in disbelief.

"Oh, no that's just my phone," Tyler explained with a forced laugh. "Got it set to farmyard animals!"

"What?" Mike said.

"Yeah, it goes like 'moo', and 'baaaa'!" Tyler continued jumping through a strained smile. "And a 'neigh'!"

The rooster crowed again.

"That- that's very piercing!" said Mike.

"That's it now!" said Tyler. "Got to go!" He went inside the shed and slammed the door.

Thalia stood there, her eyes wide. "That's very..."

"Yeah," said Mike.

"I would say it's not usually like this," said May-Li with a wry expression, "But it is."

Thalia shook her head and went back inside, suddenly cold in her pyjamas. On her way in, she bumped into Bailey.

"Watch it," he said, but it lacked its usual spitefulness.

"What's up?" Thalia asked, frowning.

Bailey sighed. "It's Mischief," he admitted. "He's gone missing."

"Missing?" Thalia repeated. "No way." She had grown a little bit attached to that dog.

"Yeah, well he has," said Bailey. "Why would you even care? You've only been here five minutes."

"Maybe I'd rather have that mutt hanging around here than you," Thalia replied with a smile.

Bailey chuckled slightly, before returning to his serious expression. "I just need to find him, a'right?" He pushed past her into the garden.

Thalia sighed and went upstairs to have a shower and get dressed. When she came back down, her red hair damp and wearing a clean set of clothes, Bailey was coming back from the vet's.

"How's Mischief?" Tee asked immediately. From what Thalia could tell, Tee had been waiting anxiously in the hall for a while.

"Not now, Tee," said Mike quietly.

"Bailey," said Billie, "We found this so you can remember him." She held up Mischief's collar.

Bailey took the collar, examined it, and his expression hardened. "Thanks," he muttered. He burst into the living room with the twins, Tee and Thalia in tow, marching up to the pool table. "Mischief didn't escape," he said, dangling the collar in the air. "Someone took this off."

"What you on about?" Johnny asked.

"His collar," Bailey repeated, showing that it wasn't clipped together. "Who let him out of the shed?"

"Must've been itchin' on a pair of scissors or somethin'," said Ryan.

"I never said it was cut," said Bailey. There were several exchanged glances.

Mike came into the room. "What's up?" he asked.

"It was you," said Bailey slowly, meeting Ryan's gaze. "Because you were scared of him." He clenched his jaw and went for the other boy.

Mike quickly broke this up.

"Mike, the police just called back," said May-Li, popping her head round the door.

"Right," said Mike, taking hold of an angry Bailey, "Out."

"You got rid of Bailey's dog?" said Johnny, staring at Ryan in disbelief. Ryan just smirked. "That's harsh," Johnny added, going around the other side of the pool table.

Thalia, meanwhile, met Ryan with an icy gaze. "How could you do that?!" She stepped forward and went for him, determined to finish what Bailey couldn't. She pushed Ryan onto the floor, raising a fist.

"Hey!" said Johnny, pulling her off him. "You don't need to-"

Thalia struggled against Johnny's strong grip. "Get off me!"

"What Ryan did was wrong, but you don't need to hit him," said Johnny, looking from Ryan to Thalia with disapproval.

Later that day, when Thalia had managed to calm down, she went back into the almost-empty living room. Only Johnny, Carmen and Tee were there.

"Hey, big man. Who're we playing?" Ryan asked, sauntering in.

Johnny sighed and put his pool cue down.

"Mature," said Ryan. "I get it."

"Uh, mature isn't hurting an innocent creature," said Carmen pointedly, as Johnny sat by her on the sofa. "If you were scared, why didn't you just say?"

"Read my lips," said Ryan. "I. Wasn't. Scared."

"Thalia," said Johnny gently, "Maybe May-Li needs help in the kitchen?"

Thalia rolled her eyes but, realising he was just trying to get her out of another fight, followed his advice and headed into the kitchen. But not without giving Ryan a frosty glare. She found Tyler and Jody in the kitchen, busy chopping vegetables.

"What happened to the farm shop?" she asked, wincing as she realised Kaz was in the kitchen too.

"We got found out," said Tyler glumly. "We have to give all our profits back, and make veggie soup from the leftovers."

"Oh," said Thalia.

"Yeah, oh," said Jody. "You're lucky you pulled out before Trading Standards got on the phone." She paused. "Any news about Mischief?"

Thalia immediately scowled. "There's a heavy vet bill."

Jody didn't respond, but just stared down at the veg she was chopping.

"Right, I'm collecting for Mischief's vet bill," Johnny declared as he came into the kitchen.

"Floss, I need those vegetables for soup," said Kaz, gesturing to the vegetable people Floss was making.

"It's Johnny's body!" Floss objected. She turned to Johnny. "Fifty pence, please."

"Aren't you supposed to give me money?" Johnny frowned.

"Well, if you give it to me, I'll give you it back," said Floss reasonably.

"Alright," said Johnny, handing it over. Floss dropped the coin back into Johnny's paper collection bag.

"Thirty quid," said Tee generously, putting in her money.

"A few shopping vouchers," said Carmen. "Sorry, it's all I've got."

"This is peanuts," said Ryan. "If you want to make decent money, you need a good plan."

Carmen scoffed. "Like you'd care," she said.

"Yeah," Tee agreed. "It was your fault he got run over in the first place."

"Fine," said Ryan, "I was only trying to help. I'll keep the money for myself."

"Wait," said Johnny. "What money?"

"If you can't see it, I'm not going to say," said Ryan.

An hour later and he, Johnny, Kaz, and Thalia were out selling veggie soup to the public.

"Get your fresh veggie soup, here for one day only!" Johnny said as people came by their stall.

"Tickle your taste buds, sir?" Ryan asked one passing man. "Two quid a cup. You're not gonna get a better deal than that."

Thalia stared at him, wondering where this complete turnaround had come from. It made her suspicious, but as long as Ryan was helping towards paying that vet bill, she didn't mind taking his help.

"Warm cup of soup on a cold afternoon, miss?" she asked a lady with a few shopping bags hanging off her arms. "Fresh veggie soup made just this morning?" She smiled as the lady paid for a cup.

"Not too bad," Ryan muttered.

"Not bad yourself," Thalia replied.

When all the soup was sold, Johnny packed away the boxes. "We'd better get back to the Dumping Ground," he said.

They were all waiting in the hallway when Bailey got back from the police station for his interview about pushing the homeless man.

"150 smackaroos," said Ryan, getting up to give Bailey the money.

"What the heck is a smackaroo?" Thalia muttered, but she smiled Bailey's surprised expression.

"We all put in," Johnny added.

"Thanks to Kaz' super chef skills," said Ryan.

"That's lovely, guys," said Mike. "Thank you so much."

"Is there anyone who hasn't made money from our veggies?" Tyler joked, making the others laugh.

"Yeah, thanks," said Bailey gruffly, "but it's not enough."

But when the homeless man handed over more donations, Bailey and Mike ran out of the door and back to the vet's.

Mischief returned to the Dumping Ground some time later, much to everyone's joy. That night, when Mischief was lying on Bailey's bed, Thalia stood in the doorway, watching the others stroke him.

"Come on, girls," said Tee, leading the twins out, "Time for bed." She pushed past Thalia with the twins in tow.

"What do you want?" Bailey asked Thalia, stroking Mischief's ears.

Thalia folded her arms. "I'm glad Mischief's back," she said.

"Yeah, so am I," Bailey agreed.

"I thought, maybe, we could call a truce?" Thalia suggested.

"Yeah," said Bailey slowly. "Sorry for having a go on your first day."

"Sorry for pushing you back," said Thalia. She went over to stroke Mischief one more time as Ryan walked past.

"Aren't you going to say goodnight to Mischief?" Bailey called.

"No," said Ryan, as if it was obvious, "he's a dog." He glanced at Thalia before adding, "Just keep him out of my face and I'll be fine."

Thalia rolled her eyes at him, turning back to the dog. She gave Mischief one last stroke before heading off to bed.

* * *

 **A/N: Here's chapter three! Hope you all enjoyed reading it :) Chapter Four will be up before this time next week, depending if I finish it early. Thanks for reading and please leave a review below :)**

 **Ginger xx**


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